The Crothersville woman who directed the Red, White & Blue Festival for 24 years was among those who received a ‘Hoosier Hospitality Award’, for her leadership during the recent Indiana Office of Tourism ceremony at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis.
In presenting the award, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch noted, “Sherry has elected to retire from her position as coordinator and she will be dearly missed. She makes a point to talk to absolutely everyone that attends the festival and vendors say they come back each year because she makes them feel like family. She invites civic organizations, school fundraising teams, and government organizations to partner with the festival to make the event something the entire county can both benefit from and be proud of. Sherry has always seen the importance of marketing outside of Jackson County, to make sure that the festival is marketed to as many potential visitors as possible.”
This year’s Crothersville Red, White and Blue Festival was Bridges’ final time serving as director. After filling that role for 24 of the 44 years of the festival and serving 37 total years on the festival committee, Bridges announced her retirement along with five others: Doris Kovener (44 years), Terry Prine (43 years), Bobby Deal (20 years), Marion Gill (12 years) and Cami Brumett (four years).
“Our Hoosier Hospitality Award recipients represent the best of our state from the tourism industry,” said Misty Weisensteiner, director of the Indiana Office Of Tourism. “These individuals dedicate their time and service to showcase to visitors and their communities what a great place Indiana is to work, live and visit.”
Receiving the award, however, was bittersweet, Bridges said. “I was saying goodbye to a job, but it wasn’t a job. It was an honor to serve my community for all of those years,” she said.
The Red, White and Blue Festival celebrates patriotism and Old Glory. It brings the small southeastern Jackson County community together the second weekend in June.

While the official Average Daily membership (ADM the official student count day) isn’t until next month, Crothersville Community School Corp. has an unofficial enrollment of 451, compared to 407 on the first average daily membership count in September 2018. The elementary school had the biggest jump at Crothersville, going from 218 students at the end of school this past May to 249 this school year. In February 2019, the school’s enrollment was 213. The junior-senior high school also saw an increase, from 189 in September 2018 to 202 now. It was at 187 in February. Both Elementary Principal Drew Markel and junior-senior high school Principal Adam Robinson said they are optimistic the numbers will continue to grow as the official count day approaches in September. At nearby Scott County School District 1 in Austin the early enrollment is down by 10, less than 1% from 1,222 in 2018, according to Superintendent Trevor Jones. Scott County District 2 school superintendent Marc Slaton said “It is still early in the process but currently our enrollment is trending up from last September’s ADM,” he said. “We do anticipate having increased enrollment for ADM September 2019.”

Earlier this year Detective Paul Clute with the Scott County Sheriff’s Office was assigned to work undercover drug investigations by Sheriff Jerry Goodin. The focus was on methamphetamine dealers under the code name, ‘Operation Eye Opener, Chapter 1’. As a result, numerous undercover drug purchases for dealing in illegal drugs were made, Goodin said.
After concluding the preliminary investigations they were turned into the Scott County Prosecutor’s Office which filed charges and the first round of arrests began last week.
“Six individuals have been arrested over the last several days,” reported the sheriff.
Charged with dealing methamphetamine were:
•Tanea Carnes, 34, of Scottsburg
•Daniel Robinson, 32, of Scottsburg
•James White, 34, of Scottsburg
•Travis Baker, 42, of Austin
•Jenny Stamper, 44, of Austin
•Aaron Couch, 30, of Otisco
“More investigations are occurring and more arrests are coming, that is why this is called Chapter 1,” said Goodin. “If you have dealt drugs in Scott County over the last couple of months you should be very worried.”
Since Jan.1 of this year, Scott County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested 141 persons for drug related offenses.
“The public’s tips and information have been tremendous and is helping lead the push to eliminate drugs in Scott County,” said Goodin.

An 18-year-old Austin teen is in custody after making threats to police officer on social media. On Tuesday, Aug. 13, Scott County Deputy Joe Baker began an investigation of threats being made towards police officers. This investigation led to charges being filed by the Scott County Prosecutor’s Office against Mark Puckett, 18, of Austin, for intimidation against a public official. In the online video Puckett is seen and heard in rambling sentences railing against law enforcement. The threats began, it is believed according to Sheriff Jerry Goodin, after an Austin Police case which resulted in the arrest of a relative of Puckett. In the one and a half minute video viewed on social media, Puckett is heard to say “F— the police. FTP, man…Free my cousin…There’ll be hell to pay…Probably a dead cop… That’s not a threat, that’s a promise…We will black bag them all.” On Saturday, Aug. 17, Deputy Baker learned that Puckett was in Kentucky. Local law enforcement contacted the Kentucky State Police and they were able to locate and arrest Mark Puckett, according to Goodin. Puckett was incarcerated in the Hart County Jail near Horse Cave in Kentucky north of Mammoth Cave National Park and was extradited to Scott County Jail last Thursday.

This is an encore column from the Curt Comments archives. •Conscience is what huts when everything else feels good. •Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand. •Stupidity got us into this mess—what can’t it get us out? •Love is grand; divorce is a hundred grand. •Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there. •Legislators and diapers have one thing in common. They should be changed regularly and for the same reason. •An optimist thinks that this is the best possible world. A pessimist fears that is true. •There is always death and taxes; however death doesn’t get worse every year. •People will accept your ideas much more readily if you tell them that Benjamin Franklin said it first. •I don’t mind going anywhere as long as it’s an interesting path. •Anything free is worth what you pay for it. •Sometimes it hurts to be on the cutting edge. •If it ain’t broke, fix it until it is. •I don’t get even, I get odder. •I always wanted to be a procrastinator; I just never got around to it. •I am not obese; I am a nutritional overachiever. •My inferiority complex is not as good as yours. •I am having an out-of-money experience. •I am in shape. Round is a shape. •If marriage were outlawed, only outlaws would have in-laws. •I am not a perfectionist. My parents were, though. •You’re getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster. •Another of life’s mysteries is how a two-pound box of candy can make you gain five pounds. •The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. •Time may be a great healer, but it’ a lousy beautician. •Age doesn’t always bring wisdom. For some people, sometimes age comes alone. •Life not only begins at 40, it begins to show. And perhaps the whole purpose of this week’s column… •You don’t stop laughing because you grow old; you grow old because you stopped laughing.